Nerlens Noel spoke with the news media Wednesday in advance of the NBA draft. / Emile Wamsteker for USA TODAY

by Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

Nerlens Noel has been hearing it for months now. On this occasion, in a hotel lobby, the former Kentucky star politely answers a young fan while signing an autograph.

"We'll see on Thursday," Noel says, smiling.

The question, while overdone, is certainly worth asking.

The 6-11 big man is a favorite to shake Commissioner David Stern's hand first in Thursday night's NBA draft (7:30 ET, ESPN), but it's unclear whether the Cleveland Cavaliers will take a chance on a player recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee that cut his freshman season at Kentucky short back in February. That's especially the case when other talented, healthy players are available.

"Really there are as many questions about Nerlens Noel as there are with anybody in the draft," ESPN analyst Jay Bilas says. "We're talking about a No. 1 pick who's a defensive savant, but he can't score and is injured. Offensively, he has a long way to go. He scores off activity level, not skill level. And we can't forget he's hurt. We're not talking about a sprained ankle, you'd be drafting a guy who just tore his ACL. No one said, 'I don't think Greg Oden will pan out.' This is more unusual. For a top draft pick, he raises a lot of questions."

Kentucky coach John Calipari says teams would regret passing on Noel.

"One thing these teams need to know is that he has a will to win that only the best players I've coached have," Calipari tells USA TODAY Sports. "When he got hurt, I didn't think we'd win another game. At 4-4, I thought we overachieved. If you want to pass on him because someone help win faster, go ahead. But just realize the potential and drive that you're missing."

The questions don't bother Noel much, though. He's simply happy to have the opportunity to be drafted.

"Just to be in the green room, knowing I'm going to get drafted, that's a dream come true to me," says Noel, who will have his immediate family and Calipari sitting at his table at Barclays Center. "I try not to get too emotional, but I might cry. I'm nervous, but I try to tell myself I'm not. When I hear my name, I'm not holding it back. I'm so blessed and fortunate. I'm never going to take a day for granted."

TRUE TO HIMSELF

At a barbershop in Harlem, Noel is getting his signature high-top fade perfected for draft night. An avid Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fan, Noel said he first started the look in high school.

"Nerlens has never been afraid to be different, to be himself," says Ricky Thurin, his best friend since grade school. "A lot of people know him now, but I've witnessed him explode into this celebrity real quick. The thing about Nerlens is, he hasn't changed one bit. We still play video games together, sometimes we might even sing some Usher and R-Kelly. With all his responsibilities, he doesn't forget where he came from, who matters to him, he's still Nerlens. With a lot of guys, money and stardom can change you. I don't think that will happen with Nerlens."

Following his haircut, while eating at Amy Ruth's in Harlem, Noel starts to discuss his plans after getting drafted. He's not concentrating on buying a new car; he's planning to get involved in charity work in Haiti. Noel frequently visited nursing homes and children's hospitals during his one season in Lexington, Ky.

"He's a good, humble kid from Boston. Right now he has that young innocence," mentor and former player God Shammgod says. "Before all the fame, $2,000 is a lot of money in college. When you get that NBA paper, it feels like $2. He needs to keep that innocence, he has to keep the right people close to him."

Noel's path to a lottery pick started with a humble upbringing. Noel, a son of Haitian immigrants, grew up in Everett, Mass., as a die-hard Boston Celtics fan. His father, Yonel, was a cab driver and his mother, Dorcina, worked two jobs to help support their family.

Noel's two brothers, Jim and Rodman, became football stars. Jim signed with the Seattle Seahawks this spring, and Rodman plays linebacker for North Carolina State. Noel always loved basketball more, and a reasonable growth spurt helped make an easy decision for his future.

"My parents came here on a mission from Haiti to make sure our family has a good life, and I think they've instilled that hard work in Nerlens," Jim Noel says. "Watching them come home at 11:30 p.m. after working two jobs, we've been very grateful that they've put clothes on our back and food on the table. I'm sure he sees what he's doing as repaying them."

DEALING WITH CONTROVERSY

Over the past three months, the 19-year-old has been scrutinized, evaluated and judged for more than his surgically repaired knee.

"I try not to listen to all the bad noise, but some of that stuff gets to you," Noel says. "How are you going to judge what type of man I am? You don't even know me."

Most of the skepticism derives from Noel's close-knit entourage. ESPN radio personality Ryen Russillo critically said in a recent podcast that Noel "has some epic bad dudes with him. â?¦I guess his handlers are looking for something here, and we can all figure that out."

Noel's main handler is Chris Driscoll, who is the head of Noel's management group. Driscoll has been heavily criticized for his motives as Noel's business advisor and was the subject of a 2012 New York Times story that focused on Noel's handlers steering him in the wrong direction. Leo Papile, founder of Boston Amateur Basketball Club, was quoted in the story by saying Driscoll was "the worst guy in the game."

"We're the same people who have been around him for his whole life," says Driscoll, who developed a relationship with Noel and his brothers when Noel was 10. "My job is to make sure he stays on the straight and narrow. People ask what my motives are. I want to see this kid be successful. Now, when he gets further down in his career, I'm sure we'll come to some type of agreement. Nerlens asked me to do this. That's why I'm here."

Noel received flak with the hiring of an agent. Noel was focusing on his rehab and had Driscoll tell people he wasn't meeting with any further agents. That didn't sit well when Noel decided to hire two agents, Frank Catapano and Andy Miller, to represent him.

ALWAYS HUSTLING

The memory from his season-ending injury against Florida on Feb. 12 still haunts Noel. He says it hurt see his teammates play without him and made it difficult to enter the draft. Kentucky finished 21-12 and missed the NCAA tournament following a national title in 2012.

"Most 7-footers don't really have hustle attached to their name," says Kenneth Chisholm, who coached against Noel in high school as the coach for the AAU squad, Boo Williams, which went up against Nike Noel's BABC AAU team. "It's ironic to me that the play he got hurt on was a hustle play. His style of play is a gift and a curse, but I think it's what makes him the No. 1 pick. He's like that off the court, too. If you take basketball away, he's still a quality young man. When the air comes out of the ball, all you have left is who you are. He'll always have those values his mother instilled. His personality can reach a lot of people, too. He has charisma, but he's not a primadonna."

Noel only met with the NBA teams holding the top three picks - the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic and the Washington Wizards - and most analysts, including USA TODAY Sports' Steve Kyler, don't see Noel falling out of the top two. After his March 12 surgery, Noel moved to Alabama to be near renowned physical therapist Kevin Wilk, who said he thinks Noel is ahead of schedule. Noel has November as a target date to start playing.

When Noel returns, he'll continue to face criticism. NBA teams know Noel's offense is raw. But he can change games defensively, and he's working on the other side, hoping to add a midrange jumper.

"Your main focus as a basketball player is to make positive plays on the court," explains Miami Heat forward and NBA draft guest commentator Shane Battier. "With a guy like Nerlens, his biggest attribute is his activity, his ability to alter shots. When he plays next year, he needs to do what he does best, not worry about what people say about his jump shot or post game. That will come with hard work."